Meet at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum at 9:45 pm
Distance: 18.5 km
Come one come all! Amateur astronomers from the Ottawa Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and/or the Ottawa Astronomy Friends will have telescopes set up to show us double stars, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies.
Important – see notes below!
Route: Almost the same as the Birders on Bicycles trip: depart from the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, 3 Rosamond St., Almonte and ride on Union until Queen St. Proceed E along Queen St, then N on Martin St to Blakeney. Turn left and follow Blakeney Rd, crossing the bridge and continuing up the hill to the stop sign at Road 29. Proceed straight ahead onto Bennies Corners Rd to the 8th Concession; turn left and ride approx 1km to the entrance of the Mill of Kintail.
Return by continuing S on the 8th Concession as far as the Old Perth Road, then turn left and ride down the hill, cross Road 29 and enter Almonte on Church St and Bridge St. The escorted group will be leaving the Mill of Kintail between midnight and 12:30am, but if you are willing to ride unaccompanied, feel free to stay longer; some of the astronomers will likely be staying until the sky gets too light to observe.
NOTE 1: This ride is dependent on reasonably clear weather. In the event of rain or overcast skies, it will be rescheduled to the following week, June 11 (again, weather permitting!). If in doubt, check the web site early on
the evening of the ride for confirmation.
NOTE 2: All bicycles MUST be equipped with working headlights and taillights. If you would like to join us but do not have lights, a few sets will be available at cost ($10-20 depending on type). Please leave a message in advance on the website if you need one.
If you want a night to remember try the Stargazer’s Ride.
Riding along in the bubble of our headlights we experienced the peace, dark, and quiet of the countryside at night, with the fields on either side blinking with scores of fireflies.
We are fortunate in Mississippi Mills to have a “Dark Skies” policy which requires new lighting covers to point the artificial light downwards.
Although the skies clouded over by the time we reached our destination at the Mill of Kintail a treat was still in store in the form of an excellent slide presentation by astronomer Mike who teaches a class in Carleton Place. His enthusiasm, and that of Pat, and Hilderic was infectious. Studying the skies is open to everyone. All we have to do is look up.
Thank you for an amazing adventure.
Well, the stars may not have come out, but the fireflies did, and lighted our way to Blakeney. The frogs entertained us with croaking choruses, and sound of the Mississippi River was haunting as we pedalled past in the dark. Leader Hilderic kept a comfortable pace for us newbie night riders. We were met at the Mill of Kintail by Mike Earl, an experienced astronomer who shared his knowledge and fantastic night-sky pictures (taken with his specialized telescopes and camera) while we feasted on muffins from Baker Bob and delicious Equator coffee. ‘Magical’ was how we all described the experience. Thank you so much!
Awesome night!
The Stargazer’s Ride is going ahead tonight, June 11. Although the skies will be less than “limpidly transparent”, we should be able to see quite a few of the brighter celestial objects, including the ringed planet Saturn… not to be missed if you’re new to this game!
Be sure to wear, or at least bring along, long pants and a jacket: it can get quite chilly standing around in the dark. Also, there may be a lot of dew, so waterproof or at least water-resistant footwear is advised.